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Heartstrikers series
Heartstrikers series — by. Rachel Aaron 5 BOOK SERIES Next Release: Last Dragon Standing #5 — March 1, 2018 Genres and Sub-Genres Urban Fantasy / New Adult / Dystopian-Post-Apocalyptic / Humor * Combines dragons, magic, dystopia, humor and urban fantasy * Action-packed urban fantasy series with a strong dose of comedy, post-apocalyptic SF themes and dragons * "weaves some post apocalyptic and SF threads into the story while also making sure that it has magic and dragons in it." ~ Fantasy Book Critic Series Description or Overview Begins with our protagonist Julius Heartstriker, who is a very undragon-like dragon. Due to his lackadaisical nature & apparent un-interest at dragon activities/ambition, he gets banished by his mother Bethesda into the DFZ or Detroit Free Zone. He's supposed to prove that he's fit to be called a spawn of the Heartstriker clan and has less than a month to prove it or else it's curtains for him. Oh and also he stuck in his human form for his Detroit jaunt and can’t avail of his dragon form or powers. ~ Fantasy Book Critic Lead's Species * Shapeshifting dragon Primary Supe * Shapeshifting dragons What Sets it Apart * "fresh twist on the genre, infusing her setting with science fiction, post-apocalyptic and dystopic elements as well as a touch of mythology". ~ Bibliosanctum Narrative Type and Narrators * Third person narrative, mainly from Julius perspective. Books in Series Heartstrikers series: # Nice Dragons Finish Last (2014) ~ Rachel Aaron | Excerpt # One Good Dragon Deserves Another (Nov 1, 2015) # No Good Dragon Goes Unpunished (Aug 5, 2016) # A Dragon of a Different Color (Jul 28, 2017) # Last Dragon Standing (Mar 1, 2018) Shorts, Novellas, Anthologies and Guides # Mother of the Year Themes * Post-apocalyptic SF themes World Building Setting * Detroit/DFZ — The city of Detroit has two levels. The old rundown original city, drowned out during the return of magic, and built directly on top of that is what is currently know as the DFZ, one of the most prosperous cities in the world. * Heartstriker Mountain - Home of the Heartstriker dragon clan. Located in New Mexico. Places: *Dragon home dimension *The Heart of the World Supernatural Elements ✥ Dragons, mages, spirits, magical creatures, futuristic, thaumaturgic mage, prophecies, mobsters, witches, cyborg, Glossary: * DFZ: Detroit Free Zone — vertical metropolis built on the ruins of Old Detroit * Clutch: dragon litter—Bethesda names her clutches alphabetically * Merlin: ' Mages a cut above the rest. Tied to a particular type of spirit 'Groups & Organizations: *Heartstriker Clan *The Three Sisters - Daughters of the Three Sisters *The Chinese Dragon Empire *United Nations World Magic exists in the world now, thanks to a meteor striking the earth in 2035. Algonquin awakens from the resulting shockwave, causing great tidal waves to rise, which was how Detroit was flooded and destroyed. The DFZ rises from its ruins, thriving unchecked on an economy system based on free enterprise and bounty hunting. Built on the ruins of old Detroit, the DFZ is set apart from the rest of the country, having been annexed by the spirit Algonquin, Lady of the Great Lakes. It is home to modern mages, lesser spirits and all manner of magical creatures. Unfortunately, it’s also got a strict no dragons policy. Trapped in hostile territory with only the clothes on his back, Julius is going to have to prove himself to his mother if he wants any chance of getting his true form back. His only source of help comes in the form of Marci, an exiled human mage who is dealing with her own hefty set of problems. Bethesda names her children by assigning each clutch by letter in order of the alphabet, so that all the dragonlings in her first clutch would have names starting with A, those in the second clutch would have names starting with B, and so on. ~ BiblioSanctum ✥ A comet caused magic to return in 2035 and since then spirits have taken over several parts of the world. One such persona is Algonquin, the Lady of the Great Lakes, who unleashed a tidal wave and destroyed Detroit. In its place she has built the Detroit Free Zone (DFZ) that is a unique mix of magic and unbridled capitalism wherein dragons are forbidden to enter and humans find themselves to be quite low on the Lady’s interests. But DFZ has flourished beyond imagination and led the world in the unique combination of magic & business coming together like none other. This situation of a city state within a country is very similar to Hong Kong and China circa pre-1997. ~ Fantasy Book Critic Protagonist ✥ Meet Julius, the smallest dragon in the Heartstriker clan. He isn’t a pushover so much as he’s just downright terrible at being a dragon. He’s nice, considerate, has no designs on taking over the world, all of which makes him an absolute failure in his mother’s eyes. After twenty-four years of watching Julius hide out in his room in the mountain, Bethesda the Heartstriker has finally had it. Sealing him in his human form, the dragon matriarch banishes her son to the Detroit Free Zone. Julius is an underdog, being the runt of Bethesda’s latest clutch. While his siblings are out doing great things, Julius prefers to avoid the rest of his family by shutting himself in his room playing computer games and earning an impressive collection of online degrees. ~ BiblioSanctum Sidekick * Name: / What: / Sidekick-to: / About: / Book First Seen: Characters Heartstrikers * The Heartstriker's clutches are named by the letter of the alphabet, in relation to the numerical order their clutch was hatched. This tradition date's back to Bethesda's origins from when her mother would use the Greek alphabet to name her clutches. * The father of the clutches aren't important (with the exception of The Quetzacoatl) and take no part in raising their children, and thus, have yet to be mentioned. The Three Sisters Humans Chinese Dragon Clan Others To expand the table, in Edit–Visual mode, right-press on a Row of the table or Column (Control-press on a Mac)—choose add Row or Column. Author Rachel Aaron * Website: Rachel Aaron | Rachel Bach - Science Fiction, Fantasy, Writing Life * Genres: Urban Fantasy * Other Pen Names: Rachel Bach Bio: Hello, my name is Rachel Aaron, and I write The Legend of Eli Monpress fantasy series for Orbit Books! I'm also the author of the new, rolicking fun Paradox Science Fiction trilogy under the name Rachel Bach. Confused yet? I know I am! I was born and raised in Atlanta, but I currently live a lovely, nerdy, bookish life in Athens, GA with my faster-than-the-speed-of-light son, perpetually understanding husband, and fat dog. I write full time, all the time, but when my husband can drag me away from my own books, I love reading fantasy (urban and traditional), Romance (paranormal and Regency), and Science Fiction (all kinds). I also enjoy video games, Minecraft, anime, manga, hanging out at conventions, and very overdone, epic things. Besides my own books, the internet knows me best for writing very fast. The best way to get to know me is probably to read my blog or follow me on Twitter or Facebook. But if you don't feel like being all social media-y, here are a few of the interviews I've done: ~ Rachel Aaron | Rachel Bach - Bio Contributors Cover Artists * Artist: Anna Steinbauer — Source: ISFdb: Cover: Nice Dragons Finish Last 'Other Contributors': * Audio Book Narrator: Vikas Adam — Source: ~ BiblioSanctum * Editor: — Source: Publishing Information * Publisher: Rachel Aaron, * Author Page: # Nice Dragons Finish Last: ## Nook ### Pages: 315 ### Publish Date: July 14, 2014 ### ISBN132940149708284 ## Kindle ### Pages: 315 ### Publish Date: July 15th 2014 ### ASIN: B00LSV28DC # One Good Dragon Deserves Another: ## Nook - N/A ## Kindle ### Pages: 487 ### Publish Date: August 1st 2015 ### ASIN: B00YI6GPZ6 # No Good Dragon Goes Unpunished: ## Nook - N/A ## Kindle ### Pages: 517 ### Publish Date: August 5th 2016 ### ASIN: B01G7YZT26 # A Dragon of a Different Color: ## Nook - N/A ## Kindle ### Pages: 525 ### Publish Date: July 28th, 2017 ### ASIN: B072C5F5R1 # Last Dragon Standing ## Nook - N/A ## Kindle ### Pages: 306 ### Publish Date: March 1st, 2018 ### ASIN: B0791NG6RF Book Cover Blurbs ✤ BOOK ONE - Nice Dragons Finish Last (2014): As the smallest dragon in the Heartstriker clan, Julius survives by a simple code: stay quiet, don’t cause trouble, and keep out of the way of bigger dragons. But this meek behavior doesn’t cut it in a family of ambitious predators, and his mother, Bethesda the Heartstriker, has finally reached the end of her patience. Now, sealed in human form and banished to the DFZ--a vertical metropolis built on the ruins of Old Detroit--Julius has one month to prove to his mother that he can be a ruthless dragon or lose his true shape forever. But in a city of modern mages and vengeful spirits where dragons are seen as monsters to be exterminated, he’s going to need some serious help to survive this test. He only hopes that humans are more trustworthy than dragons. ~ Fantasy Book Critic: Nice Dragons Finish Last ✤ BOOK TWO - One Good Dragon Deserves Another (Oct 2015): After barely escaping the machinations of his terrifying mother, two all-knowing seers, and countless bloodthirsty siblings, the last thing Julius wants to see is another dragon. Unfortunately for him, the only thing more dangerous than being a useless Heartstriker is being a useful one. Now that he's got an in with the Three Sisters, Julius has become a key pawn in Bethesda the Heartstriker's gamble to put her clan on top. Refusal to play along with his mother's plans means death, but there's more going on than even Bethesda knows. Heartstriker futures are disappearing, and Algonquin's dragon hunter is closing in. Now, with his most powerful family members dropping like flies, it's up to Julius to save the family that never respected him and prove once and for all that the world's worst dragon is the very best one to have on your side. ✤ BOOK THREE - No Good Dragon Goes Unpunished (Aug 2016): When Julius overthrew his mother and took control of his clan, he thought he was doing right by everyone. But sharing power isn’t part of any proper dragon’s vocabulary, and with one seat still open on the new ruling Council, all of Heartstriker is ready to do whatever it takes to get their claws on it, including killing the Nice Dragon who got them into this mess in the first place. To keep his clan together and his skin intact, Julius is going to have to find a way to make his bloodthirsty siblings play fair. But there’s more going on in Heartstriker Mountain than politics. Every family has its secrets, but the skeletons in Bethesda’s closet are dragon sized, and with Algonquin’s war looming over them all, breaking his clan wide open might just be the only hope Julius has of saving it. ✤ BOOK FOUR - A Dragon of a Different Color (Jul 2017): '''To save his family from his tyrannical mother, Julius had to step on a lot of tails. That doesn’t win a Nice Dragon many friends, but just when he thinks he’s starting to make progress, a new threat arrives. Turns out, things can get worse. Heartstriker hasn’t begun to pay for its secrets, and the dragons of China are here to collect. When the Golden Emperor demands his surrender, Julius will have to choose between loyalty to the sister who's always watched over him and preserving the clan he gave everything to protect. ✤ '''BOOK FIVE - Last Dragon Standing (Mar 2018) First Sentences # Nice Dragons Finish Last (2014) — Prologue: It was a very ugly house. / Chapter #1: "Get up." Julius woke with a jump, toppling off the slick modern couch. He landed face down on hard white carpet, smacking his knee painfully on the corner of his sister’s abstract coffee table in the process. # One Good Dragon Deserves Another (Nov 1, 2015) Quotes * Goodreads | Nice Dragons Finish Last Quotes by Rachel Aaron ~ Goodreads * Heartstrikers Series ~ Shelfari * Goodreads | Rachel Aaron Quotes (Author of The Spirit Thief) Trivia *Lists That Contain Nice Dragons Finish Last (Heartstrikers, #1) by Rachel Aaron *Lists That Contain One Good Dragon Deserves Another (Heartstrikers, #2) * Awards Read Alikes (suggestions) — If you like these, you may like this: * Generation V series * Kate Daniels series * White Trash Zombie series New Adult: * Webmage series * Broken Destiny series * Ren Crown series * Morganville Vampires series * Mortal Instruments, The * Allie Beckstrom series * Prospero's War series * Remy Chandler series * Shifters series Category links at bottom of page Notes Why Rachel Aaron decided to Self-publish: Civilian Reader: Guest Post: “‘You’re doing what?’ – Why I Decided to Self-Publish My Next Series” by Rachel Aaron See Also * 2015 UF Release Schedule * List of Sidekicks * List of Vampires of Urban Fantasy * Characters (category) * List of UF Anthologies * List of Cover Artists * Urban Fantasy Links * 2014 UF Release Schedule * Category links at bottom of page External References Books: * Rachel Aaron | Rachel Bach - Science Fiction, Fantasy, Writing Life ~ Author * Goodreads | Heartstrikers series by Rachel Aaron ~ Goodreads * Rachel Aaron ~ FF * Nice Dragons Finish Last - Series Bibliography ~ ISFdb * Heartstrikers Series ~ Shelfari * Heartstrikers | Series ~ LibraryThing * Heartstrikers series by Rachel Aaron ~ FictFact * Rachel Aaron - Summary Bibliography ~ ISFdb (author) Freebies & Excerpts: * Rachel Aaron | Rachel Bach - Excerpts ~ Author Summaries: * World, Characters, etc: *Heartstrikers Series ~ Shelfari Reviews: *Audiobook Review: Nice Dragons Finish Last #1 by Rachel Aaron | The BiblioSanctum *Fantasy Book Critic: Nice Dragons Finish Last #1 by Rachel Aaron *Review: Nice Dragons Finish Last by Rachel Aaron | Escape Reality, Read Fiction! Interviews, Guest Posts, Author Commentary: * Artist: *Anna Steinbauer - Summary Bibliography Author: *Rachel Aaron | Rachel Bach - Science Fiction, Fantasy, Writing Life *Goodreads | Rachel Aaron (Author of The Spirit Thief) Community, Fan Sites: *(5) Rachel Aaron *Rachel Aaron/Bach (@Rachel_Aaron) | Twitter Gallery of Book Covers Nice Dragons Finish Last (Heartstrikers, #1) by Rachel Aaron.jpg|1. Nice Dragons Finish Last (2014—Heartstrikers series) by Rachel Aaron—Art: Anna Steinbauer ~ Excerpt|link=http://www.rachelaaron.net/books-heartstrikers.php Heartstrikers2.jpg|2. One Good Dragon Deserves Another (2015-Heartstrikers series) by Rachel Aaron - art: Anna Steinbauer ~ Excerpt|link=http://www.rachelaaron.net/books-heartstrikers.php Hs3Cover.jpg|3. No Good Dragon Goes Unpunished (2016-Hearstrikers series) by Rachel Aaron-Art: Anna Steinbauer ~ Excerpt|link=http://www.rachelaaron.net/books-heartstrikers.php HS4.jpg|4. A Dragon of a Different Color (2017-Heartstrikers series) by Rachel Aaron-Art: Anna Steinbauer ~ Excerpt|link=http://www.rachelaaron.net/books-heartstrikers.php Category:Dragons as the main Supe Category:Dragons Category:Weres and Shifters as Main Supe Category:Mages Category:Ghosts and Spirits Category:Prophecies Category:Tech vs Magic Category:Futuristic Category:New Adult Category:Indies and Self-Published UF works Category:Supe-Mage Mafia, Mob, Gangsters… Category:Dystopian or Post Apocalyptic Category:Female Lead Category:Male Lead Category:Series